Many people who work out of their homes are in business for themselves. They essentially take a leap of faith and start up their own online business doing affiliate marketing, freelance writing, freelance web design, or even just blogging (though it takes awhile to build up a blog that earns real money). Yet, there are also businesses who actually hire workers to fill jobs at home, usually in the fields of customer service, data entry, accounting, or sales.
To start, you can look for work at home opportunities in the same way you look for any other type of jobs. Look through job ads online for those stating they need employees to work out of the office or simply call up employers in your local area and ask if they have any at- home positions available. You would be surprised how many big businesses either hire people to work from home at the moment or are planning to start up such programs in the near future.
There are also many opportunities to make money online without officially being hired by a boss. You can buy used items from local clearance sales or thrift stores and resell on sites like eBay, or even sell products and services of your own.
If you have excellent written communication skills then chances are you could find instant work at freelance sites that connect freelance writers with online marketers and website owners who need fresh keyword rich content for their sites. Or, if you know how to develop websites or even just create applications and graphics for websites, you could find yourself in hot demand at many freelance job sites.
Some freelance sites also list a variety of other opportunities, but you have to be extremely careful of who you trust. Never hand out any personal information about yourself when you work from home in this manner and never agree to accept or send money through electronic wire, such as Western Union. Open a PayPal account and use that to accept your payments, and never turn in your work until you have the payment secure.
If you are extremely worried about fraud, then look for jobs from reputable companies that you are familiar with, or can at least investigate online before signing on. Most of these positions will require you to go through an interview process just as you would for an in-office position, so take advantage of that and ask lots of questions.
You will need to know what hours you are expected to work, exactly what your duties will be, how much you will be paid, and especially how and when you will be paid. If they cannot give you these answers, then chances are the job is not legitimate.
